Sports Betting 101

While I do like Baseball, I have never bet on any games, so please bear with me as I write this article. To understand how betting works in Baseball, some research was required. Here is an example of Baseball Betting.

Choosing the Teams

We are betting on the New England Patriots, the home team, against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins is a -115 favorite, which means for every $100 the player wants to win on the Dolphins, the bettor must wager $115. A wager on the New England Patriots would win $105 for every $100 wagered.

Can You Explain the Run Line?

In Baseball, the Run Line is similar to a point spread such as Football. However, the exception will vary according to the money line odds, and you may not see this -110 favorite on either side. The player making this wager is giving, let's say, 1 ½ runs to the New England Patriots by betting $160 for every $100 he wants to win. If the Patriots lose the game by one run, the player would still win. Conversely, the player may also give 1 ½ runs to the Dolphins and win $14 for every $10 wagered. The Dolphins would need to win by two runs. If the home team's score is ahead of the other team, the game must go either 8-1/2 or 9 innings. The pitchers listed on the roster must start the game, or the run line bets are refunded.

The Over/Under Total

Let's assume the over/under number is 9, which is the combined number of runs scored by both teams. The player can wager on the game to go either over or under this number. The price is -110 on each side in this example. If the final score falls precisely on the number, the wager is called a No Action wager and will be refunded. If the Patriots, the home team, is ahead, betting the total means the game must play for at least nine innings or 8-1/2 innings.